Violet Flower Essentials Coast to Coast

If you can find violets growing wild in the woodlands nearby, you will be able to grow the cultivated violets with great success in your garden. From the cool slopes of northern California eastward to Virginia, you can make the garden violet flower over a surprisingly long season.

They prefer a light well-drained soil and most will withstand partial shade. If the soil is heavy and contains little organic matter, dig in some cow manure or leafmold. This will improve the soil texture and add nutrients. While violets can be transplanted at almost any time during the growing season, they will usually grow most rapidly, forming many runners, if they are planted in the early spring when the soil is cool and moist.

If planted 7 to 10 inches apart in good soil and watered thoroughly, they will produce sufficient plants to make a dense, matted cover within a year. If violets are planted during the summer, remove some of the leaves of each plant to reduce the likelihood of wilting. To encourage larger plants and flowers, apply a complete plant food with a high nitrogen content.

The plants will increase by developing new plants or runners. Place soil over the runners here and there to make new roots form. The new plants which have rooted can be moved to another location next year. In regions where winters are severe, protect the plants from winter injury and especially during early spring thaws by covering with straw.

Two Kinds of Violet Flowers

Violets produce two kinds of flowers: small, inconspicuous flowers (known as cleistogamous) which form near the base of the plant during the long days of summer when leaves are large and seeds are developing; and the bright colorful (chasmogamous) flowers which appear when leaves are small and no seeds are forming during the short days of spring and fall.

In regions where summer temperatures drop as low as 50° during the night, the plants can be forced to produce the more attractive, showy chasmogamous flowers by shortening the period of daylight. To do this merely place light-tight cardboard boxes over the plants at 4 P.M. and remove them any time after dark.

The plants will respond to the length of the daylight period rather than to the time of year. They will behave as if it were still spring and produce small leaves and an abundance of large fragrant showy flowers. It is possible to produce very large flowers on stems 10 or more inches long, the blooms standing high above a mat of rich brilliant green leaves.

Contributed by D. Watson

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